Right, the holiday season is over, and it's back to something resembling normalcy tomorrow, what with Parliament resuming and all. So, here's the press releases that you missed... Govt must provide answers over forced marriage scandal Javid comments on asylum seekers 'completely unacceptable' Corbyn cosies up to the Conservatives on Brexit All Gove is offering farmers is uncertainty Cable: PM's publicity campaign is scaremongering Cable: Govt must end brinkmanship over security in Northern Ireland Lib Dems: Govt must follow airports and invest in drone protection Govt must provide answers over forced marriage scandal Liberal Democrats today condemned reports that the ...

I'm a democrat, which means that the public should get what it votes for. And whilst that also means that it gets to change its collective mind if it chooses to, the question of who decides how to test that is left with Parliament, within the limits of Parliamentary terms and the ability to form a government. We have, it could be argued, the worst of all worlds - a government that has no majority except that lent to it by other parties, and unable to agree amongst itself as to the best course of action. At the same time, ...

Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Daniel Lewis, Nigel Ashton and Yaso Sathiy, Focus Editor are holding their next advice centre on Saturday 12th January. from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Churchtown, at BoxTree Kitchen for Queenscourt café, Manor Road/Cambridge Road, roundabout, fourth Thursday of every month (except December) from 10:30 to: 11.30 am. We will be there to meet you and discuss any ...

It was in 1974, when I turned 14, that I was most interested in the singles charts. I collected them from Record Mirror and really cared about which record would be the next number 1. Almost ever since, I have been quick to say it was a thin year for music and claim that I sensed it even then. There may be some truth in that claim - I did, just, remember the glory days of the 1960s. Certainly, I rushed out to buy Substitute when The Who re-released in 1976 because it was so much better than anything else ...

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 538th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (30 December 2018 – 5 January , 2019), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Jason Edwards ...

Tory Leave politicians have put pressure on the BBC. Alex Spence has the leaked WhatsApp messages that prove it. "The man who sold you Brexit says you are poor because you have inferior genes and brains, and better education won't change that." Forget Benedict Cumberbatch and study the real Dominic Cummings, says Will Black. Rutger Bregman argues that a shorter working week could help reduce accidents, combat climate change, make the genders more equal and more. New York's empty shops are a dark omen for the future of all cities, argues Derek Thompson. "In 1953 her luck changed when she ...

Second paragraph of third chapter:Aristides had come to Rome, much as Galen would a generation later, an aspiring young provincial ready to try his fortunes on the grandest stage. He had been preparing his entire life. A son of the gentry, Aristides had been tutored throughout his youth by a celebrity cast of rhetorical teachers. After his father's death, Aristides had cruised the Nile, the ultimate Grand Tour. He failed to discover its exotic headwaters, but acquired a stock of colorful experiences he could recycle for a lifetime. Shortly after, he ventured to the capital. He journeyed west by land, ...

I've always been pleased to acknowledge that anything that I may have achieved in life can be put down to the family that I was born into and the one that I have helped build up during my lifetime. I ... Continue reading →

[IMG: Malaysia was almost The Economist's 'Country of the Year'] Malaysia was one of three countries considered by the Economist for the 'Country of the Year' award in 2018. Ethiopia and Armenia were the other two finalists with the latter being the winner. The word... The post Malaysia was almost The Economist's 'Country of the Year' appeared first on FeministMama.

Are you stockpiling medicines, food or other items ahead of Brexit for personal use in the event of a catastrophe? Or do you have confidence in the government to make sure that life carries on...Continue Reading The post Personal Brexit stockpiling appeared first on ten pence piece.

It's a common feature of UK news, and UK political news in particular, that we pay a disproportionate amount of attention to the US. That's why shootings in the US often receive headline coverage in the UK when other deaths, greater in number and greater in impact, in other countries get little attention. It is also why two different internal party contests got very different levels of media coverage in the UK last year. One was an internal contest to choose the next leader of the governing party in a country whose economy is the largest in Europe, whose political ...

Time for an excursion into the classics with a Vaughan Williams setting from 1901 or so sung by the English tenor Ben Johnson. The words are to be found in the play Henry VIII by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. They come from a portion of it usually attributed to Fletcher. Anyway, both the words and music are beautiful.

How dare Theresa May suggest that rejecting her deal is damaging to democracy? How on earth did we get to a place where a Prime Minister of a minority government pushes the country to the brink, forcing false choice between two unpalatable options that most people don't want. Two massive polls, of 25000 and 20000 people respectively, for the People's Vote campaign and Channel 4 suggest that people want to remain in the EU. Proceeding with Brexit without reference to the people, surely, is much more damaging to democracy. Andrew Marr could have challenged her forcefully on this to her ...

MPs like Jacob Rees Mogg may well convey the impression of living in a bygone age, indeed one feels that he and some of his fellow Brexiteers would be far more comfortable in the age of Palmerston, Earl Grey and Wellington, but that cannot be the standard by which a twenty-first century democracy measures itself. It is not just the House of Lords which needs reforming. Some of the archaic practises of the House of Commons also need to be changed. We should no longer be catering for part-time MPs, who care for their non-political business interests in the morning, ...

Janet's Void (video) There's no spoilers in this, so you're safe to watch if you're not fully caught up on the Good Place. A quick primer on the difference between "cursing" and "obscenity" (twitter thread) Obvs if you are British you can substitute "swearing" for "cursing", but the point will be the same. And neatly following from that, the word "fuck" for mathematicians Ministry Of Justice Staff Called A BuzzFeed Journalist "Crazy" And A "Bitch" After She Published A Leaked Report ... and presumably are pearl-clutching about this report too How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation I found this extremely ...

Sat, 12:56: It is a fairly fundamental principle of professionalism and courtesy that you refer to people in that manner in whi... https://t.co/WFCUjMYr3f Sat, 14:48: RT @sommervilletv: i see the British Army has withdrawn from Drone Wars at Gatwick Airport. Here are some lessons on fighting drones, from... Sat, 16:05: The Brexit Blog: Britain is on the brink of an historic strategic decision https://t.co/LtdCA1R65P @chrisgreybrexit... https://t.co/7ZtlA3x4o4 Sat, 16:39: The War of the Worlds (1953) https://t.co/ytGdLSLU65 Sat, 17:45: Favourite episode: A close call between "Blink" and "The Deadly Assassin". In the end I think "Blink" wins. https://t.co/cinOmlzffA Sat, 20:48: RT @pipmadeley: ...

Labour would crash to a worse defeat than it suffered under Michael Foot if the party enables Brexit, according to a huge new poll. YouGov surveyed a huge sample of 25000 people and the results show that the party risks losing millions of supporters in two scenarios under which it either votes through some form of compromise deal or fails to order MPs to oppose Brexit. These findings are consistent with the Channel 4 poll in November which showed that a majority of its 20,000 sample backed Remain. The fieldwork was done over the Christmas holidays and was completed on ...

Today's video from the Lib Dem Campaign for Racial Equality shows secretary Nadiya Phoenix talk about the need for the party to look at the needs of people who are both LGBT and BAME. "In 2019 I want to see a more inclusive party which empowers the voice of people who are both BAME and LGBT." LDCRE secretary @NJayPhoenix has been through the BAME LGBT role model scheme at @stonewalluk and is determined to help transform our party. #modernpartymodernbritain pic.twitter.com/S8b1v7aYTn — LDCRE (@LDCRE1) December 30, 2018 LDCRE has done a huge amount in a short time .If you want to ...

The Liverpool Echo has the story on its website – see link below A really positive article here which can only help our local seaside town – well done Liverpool Echo Sunset -As seen from the end of Southport Pier But what else could help Southport develop its potential? Well, a bypass around Ormskirk would be a big boost as would regaining the once excellent rail link to Wigan and Manchester which has seen very poor services in recent times. Remember Southport was built on the success of its railway connection to the east because Manchester business people came ...

This is the first of two articles about the way that Shropshire Council has begun the New Year in a remarkably oddball way. Steve Charmley, deputy leader of the council has got a bee in his bonnet about vegan adverts on Arriva buses. He wants them banned because Shropshire is "a great County built on Agriculture!" I would have hoped we are first and foremost a great county based on human rights and freedom of speech. Councillor Charmley is calling for a meeting with Arriva buses, a company the council subsidises to the tune of £2 million a year. That ...

With the Christmas school holidays now over, it is back to West End Ward surgeries this coming week. My Mitchell Street Centre and Harris Academy surgeries take place tomorrow. My full surgery details are below - although I can also be contacted via esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk or phone me at home on 459378 anytime :